This is so sad and so typical. Way to ruin a beautiful morning.

When are the business classes, investors, going to start realizing that they are just prey?

PERKINS: Well, no, no, no, no. Listen, Brooke, that’s not it. We’ve already seen in places such as Massachusetts that’s legalized same-sex marriage, all of a sudden in the elementary schools it’s taught that homosexual relationships are the same as heterosexual and parents are not able to opt their children out of that teaching. We’ve seen religious institutions that have lost their tax exemption because they refuse to allow their facility to be used for same-sex unions. So this is much more than just whether or not two people love each other.

BALDWIN: Of course.

Well, Ms Baldwin is getting better, but why didn’t she ask for the names of some of these religious institutions that have lost their tax exemption? And I won’t even get into why churches should be tax-exempt anyway.

This is an old tradition in Canada. Seems to have come from Old France and was usually organized by women to show disapproval, usually of marriages. There was an especially famous one known as the

“the most renowned Charr’varri / In Montreal, in eighteen hundred twenty three.”

The cause seems to have been a well-known bachelor marrying a widow rather than ‘new’ wife. It sparked a long poem. One of the lines in the poem says that no bachelor should be permitted to marry a widow unless he has letters from 10 virgins stating that they didn’t want him.

For a look at how the mainstream media is down-playing this issue, here is a discussion of how various media in Canada have reported the size of the crowd.

The banging of pots and pans is a new mark of solidarity with the students (sorry, no anchor, so scroll down — interesting stuff on the way there, too) and against Law 78. That and wearing red or a red square (after the Quebec idiom “carrément dans le rouge” or “squarely in the red”).

Now there is another way that ordinary people are showing support — banging pots and pans for 15 minutes at 8pm every night.

Bingo! And although the number is not quite right, here’s a numeric celebration. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeolH-kzx4c

My mum even liked these guys (LOL!)

C’mon, just two more, for Suz!

B/C it is trad at Late Night, some music! More Montreal video, accompanied by Pete Seeger asking the musical question, “Which Side are You On?”

Nighters, all, from Toronto.

As a public service, to get up to 99 for Suz, I am posting some stuff from the wonderful Montreal student demo ystrdy. The Quebecois show us how it is done!

In other news in Canada, Stephen Harper continues to destroy the country.
. Last week it was the Experimental Lakes Area. He is truly a prize.

And if you haven’t yet seen this young lady, do stop in. Victoria Grant, age 12, from Cambridge ON, explains why Canada is in debt in 6:34. Works for USA, too.

Not being much of an artist myself, I can’t really bring myself to criticise anyone who actually gets out there and does it. But, not everything is worth watching, even once. That said, what moves people is what is next in their own life, and that I can’t judge. So, I tried to be an honest reporter, and they could decide themselves what they would like to see or hear. My editor seemed to think I did OK. And I think so, too. A ‘real’ critic I totally ain’t. Different pigeonhole.

In the morning I will call my Dad, he is retired now, but for decades was editor of several small newspapers (not all at the same time), all now either closed or folded into Gannett. I think he will be sad to hear this.

I have written for local arts rags, and even done ‘criticism’. That is a very scary bag. I worked from the view that my job was not to judge the stuff (I cannot claim any superior taste to do that) but to report accurately enough so that the people who would enjoy/appreciate the art/music/play/whatever would go to see it, and the people who would hate it would not go. So I guess that is reporting, not criticism. But I had a wonderful editor, and he did not require that I gush, ever.

Srsly?

Hey PetroC, if it’s going by way of TO it may not arrive. I need therapy too.

Ueah, I do keep feeling sorry for the guy. How can we help? Srsly. I think you are right.

Look, I am female and mostly straight. I do not understand this Shakira’s ass business (well, except for envy — no matter). Can we please go back to just pwning George Tierney Jr of Greenville SC?

Hey Jennifer, I have a great recipe for peperoncini steak in the crockpot that you might like.